JP/3/ADJAR

Police ticketed 9,200 motorists and impounded 320 vehicles

JAKARTA (JP): City traffic police have ticketed about 9,200 motorists and impounded 320 vehicles for various traffic violations during their one-month operation which ended last week.

"Many of the traffic violators were drivers of public transportation, such as drivers of Metromini and Mikrolet minibuses and wide-bodied city buses" Lt. Col. K. Adjar Triadi, head of the city traffic investigation unit, told reporters Wednesday.

"Most of them were ticketed for queue jumping, ignoring traffic signs or driving without proper vehicle documents in their possession," he said.

The operation, ended Thursday, was conducted by the city traffic police together with the City Land Transportation and Traffic Control Agency (DLLAJ).

"The main objective of this routine operation was to deal with motorists driving their vehicles in an aggressive manner which in turn could endanger themselves and the lives of others," Adjar said.

As a follow-up to the operation, Lt. Col. Adjar said some 340 drivers have been asked to take new driving tests before they were permitted to drive again.

Adjar also urged transportation companies to be more selective in employing new drivers because based on police findings many transportation firms in the city employ drivers with poor personal records at their previous firms.

"The companies, at least, have to check and re-check on termination letters produced by the applicants when they are applying for jobs in order to be sure that they are employing the right persons," Adjar said. (bsr)